Peace, Justice, and the Planet

This video gives the briefest of tastes of the wide and wonderful array of people, all leaders in their own arenas, who have worked with the Temple of Understanding for over 6 decades. Religious leaders, spiritual leaders, activists, environmentalists, theologians, professionals from the United Nations, and more, all speaking from heart and soul about ultimate concerns for our planet. Each offers wisdom for our communication (and communion) with, and our fuller relationship to, the earth and each other. All their thoughts guide us toward a peaceful pathway forward.

At only 13 minutes long, the film inspires and refreshes with the vigor of voices of passion. It reminds us to honor those who have gone before us. Hope lies in taking stock of where we are and what we face and bringing forth the passion and warmth we have within us to build bridges together.

Speakers include

Honorable Dr. Karan Singh
Van Jones
Grove Harris
Alison Van Dyk
TOU student interns
Amy Pacula
Founder Juliet Hollister,
Joan Kirby, RSCJ
Chantal Line Carpentier, UNCTAD NY Chief
Dr. Wangari Maathai, GreenBelt Movement, Kenya
Vandana Shiva
Chief Arvol Looking Horse, Lakota spiritual leader
Fr.Thomas Berry, Geologian
Lopa Banerjee, Director, Civil Society Division, UN Women
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew 1

Each of these speakers offers us a gem of their wisdom, for example, Fr. Thomas Berry reminds us that “We have gone stark raving mad….The planet earth is a communion of subjects, not a collection of objects. If we don’t learn that, nothing’s going to work.“ And Executive Director Alison Van Dyk closes the video with her thoughts that peace through understanding is the contribution of the interfaith movement. We need to understand religion and culture in the context of each country. This openness to the specificity of country and cultural differences, informed by religious understanding, is core to the vision and work of the Temple of Understanding.